Dental apparatus



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. F. PIEPER DENTAL APPARATUS Filed April 9, 1941 June 232 1942.

Junezs, 1942. A F PIEPER 12,287,058

DENTAL APPARATUS Filed April 9, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

BY ma Patente-cl June 23, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DENTAL APPARATUS Alphonse F. Pieper, Brighton, N. Y. Application April 9,1941, serial No. 387,705

(Cl. 3ft- 24) 4 Claims.

My invention relates to dental apparatus, anc! more particularly to a dental unit or standard adapted to support various instruments or appliances adjacent the dental chair and within convenient reach of the dentist.

Reference is made to United States patent to Oscar H. Pieper No. 2,214,775, issued September 1'7, 1940, showing the preferred general arrangement of parts for retrieving the instruments in the carrier.

An object of my invention is to provide a compact dental standard or unit adapted to house or support various dental instruments and which may be produced at a reasonable cost.

Another object of my invention is to provide, in combination with means for housing various dental instruments and protecting them from dust and dirt, means for rendering the instruments readily and conveniently accessible when the dentist desires to use them.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be more particularly set forth in the claims and will appear more fully from the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a portion of a dental standard or unit showing the position of the dental instruments, and carrier therefor, when housed within the unit;

Fig. 2 is a View from the left of Fig. l with the parts shown in dotted lines and the door or closure closed;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 1 showing the position of the parts when the door or closure is in an open position;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 with the door or closure in the same position as shown in Fig. 3, but with the instrument carrier projected forwardly on the closure so as to present the instruments in a convenient position to be grasped;

Fig. 5 is a view showing the latch arrangement for maintaining the instrument carrier in its projected position.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, disclosed herein, the dental unit includes and the support or enclosure for the instrument comprises a hollow supporting standard or column II which has a suitable base (not shown). The general construction of the unit is more clearly shown in the above mentioned patent. The standard or column constitutes a part of the dental unit and may support in addition to the instruments to be described a cuspidor bowl, a drinking fountain, and other appurtenances and conveniences for the dentist and his patients.

In addition the standard houses the retrieving means for the instruments which may be similar to the means shown in the above mentioned patent.

The supporting column I I is, for the most part, hollow to provide a recess or compartment I2 for housing and protecting the various instruments or dental appliances which are assembled preferably in juxtaposition in the compartment. The instruments are normally maintained within the compartment and are supported by a suitable carrier or instrument holder which is provided with mechanism for automatically moving the carrier into a position to render the instruments accessible for use when the dentist so desires. Preferably the instruments are mounted in a carrier or holder, generally indicated by the numeral I3.

While I have shown only a single instrument mounted inthe carrier, it will be appreciated that a number of instruments may be mounted in the same carrier by providing suitable openings in the carrier for the reception of the various instruments. It will be understood that the instruments are provided with cords with which the retrieving means, above mentioned, cooperates. The instrument I4 shown in the drawings is a water syringe. In addition to a water syringe other dental hand instruments such, for example, as a cautery, a pulp tester, a small electric lamp and other devices may be mounted in and supported by the carrier.

The supporting column II is provided with an opening I6 adapted to be closed by a door or closure I'I. Preferably the closure is hinged about its lower edge so as to swing from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 3. Hinging of the closure may be accomplished by Iproviding the supporting column and the closure with suitable cooperating bosses and pivot pins, as indicated at I8.

A stop arm I9 which may be pivoted to the closure, as indicated at 2I, has a slot 22 adjacent its end adapted to cooperate with a stop pin 23 so as to limit the opening movement of the closure. In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown the stop arm in engagement with the stop pin 23 and holding the closure in the desired open position. Further a stop pin 24 is provided on the carrier which is adapted to be engaged by the stop arm I9. A spring 2B having one end secured to the closure, as indicated at Z'I, and the other end secured to the stop arm, as shown at 28, normally retains the stop arm in engagement with the stop pin 24.

Carried by the closure are a pair of brackets 3l, 32. The brackets 3| and 32 are provided with projecting parts or flanges having openings 33 therein. The openings in the projecting parts of the bracket 32 are adapted to receive a pivot pin 34 upon which is journaled a sleeve 36 to the ends of which arms 31 are rigidly secured. The other ends of the arms 31 are pivoted to the carrier. as shown at 38. The sleeve 36 and the arms 31, together with their pivotal connection with respect to the bracket 32 and the carrier I3, act as a swinging support for the carrier.

Externally of the unit is a hand operated element or handle 4I which is rigidly connected, as shown at 42 (Fig. 2) to an operating rod 43. The operating rod 43 extends through the openings 33 in the bracket 3| and is rigidly connected, as shown at 44 (Fig. 5), to a sleeve 46. The sleeve 46 has preferably integrally connected therewith a pair of arms 41 which are pivoted to the carrier, as shown at 48. It will now be appreciated that upon operating the handle 4I, when the closure is in an open position, the instrument carrier is swung, together with the instruments carried thereby as `a unit, on the arms 31 and 41 so as to shift `the carrier forwardly on the closure from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4.

For the purpose of maintaining the carrier in its forward position, as shown in Fig. 8, latch means are provided. Such latch means may comprise, as shown in Fig. 5, a latch I having a cam surface 5Ia which is adapted to be actuated by one of the arms 41. The latch 5I is urged by a spring 52 extending in concentric relation with a pin 53 rigidly connected to the latch 5I. The end of the pin is guided in an opening provided in a bracket 54. The latch 5I is further rigidly connected to a latch release slide 53 provided with a slot 51 adapted to receive a pin 58 carried by the closure. A pin 553 rigidly connected to the latch release slide 5S extends through the side of the closure and has mounted on the projecting end thereof a latch release button 6I.

It will now be appreciated that when the carrier is swung from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4, the latch 5I is cammed aside against the action of the spring 52 until the arm 41 lies beyond the latch. The spring 52 then projects the latch behind the arm 41 so as to retain the carrier in its forward position on the closure, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

The carrier may be provided on its lower side and near its forward end with a rubber bumper 36 which is adapted to engage substantially the forward edge of the closure when the carrier is swung to its forward position so as to cushion the engagement of the carrier with the closure. It will be observed, with the carrier in its forward position, that the instruments are presented in a position convenient for the dentist and accessible to him without interference by any of the parts of the operating mechanism.

Normally the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1 with the instrument carrier in its rearward position with respect to the closure, and with the closure closed. In this position the instruments are protected from dust and dirt and the exterior of the unit presents an attractive appearance, witho-ut the instruments being visible.

When the dentist desires access to the instruments he actuates the handle 4i. Due primarily to the weight of the instrument carrier I3, the

instruments I4, and retrieving weights shown in the above mentioned patent, upon actuation of the handle 4I the closure is swung to the open position shown in Fig. 3 about the pivots I8, without actuating the instrument carrier. When the closure is swung to this open position the stop arm I9 swings with the closure and engages the stop pin 23 provided on the interior Wall of the unit. This limits the position of the closure to the position shown in Fig. 3.

Upon further actuation of the handle 4I, due to the fact that the position of the closure has been limited, the force applied to the handle 4I is transmitted through the arms 31 and 41 so as to swing these arms about their pivots and shift the instrument carrier from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the shown in Fig. 4. During this operation the latch 5I is actuated by one of the arms 41 and moves to the position shown in Fig. 5 so as to maintain the instrument carrier as shown in Fig. 4. In this position of the parts the instruments are retained in accessible position for use by the dentist.

When the dentist is finished using the instruments he presses the latch release button 6I preferably with his thumb while actuating the handle 4I. This action releases the latch 5I and permits the arms 41, together with the arms 31, to be swung by means of the handle 4I, there-` by swinging the instrument carrier from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 3. The position of the instrument carrier when in its rearward position, as shown in Fig. 3, is limited by engagement of the stop pin 24 mounted on the carrier with the stop arm I9. When the instrument carrier has reached its stop position further actuation of the handle 4I will shift the closure about the pivots I8 and move the parts to the position shown in Fig. 1, in which position the instruments are protected.

While I have shown and described the preferred forms of my invention, it will be apparent that various changes and modications may be made therein, particularly in the form and relation of parts, without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a dental equipment stand comprising a hollow frame having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure for said opening movably supported on said frame, and an instrument carrier movably supported on the inner side of said closure, the combination with said closure and carrier of a common manually movable member for moving said closure and carrier, means connecting said member with said closure, and means connecting said member with said carrier, said member having one movement for moving said closure to open and closed positions and having also another movement for moving said carrier on said closure when said closure is moved to open position, to present instruments held in said carrier in readily accessible position outside said frame.

2. In a dental equipment stand comprising a hollow frame having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure for said opening movably supported on said frame, and an instrument carrier movably supported on the inner side of said closure, the combination with said closure and carrier of a common, manually operable member for moving said closure and carrier, said member being mounted for movement relative to said closure, means connecting said member with said closure for moving the same to open and closed positions, and means connecting said member with said carrier for moving said carrier on said closure when said closure is moved to open position, to present instruments held in said carrier in readily accessible position outside said frame.

3. In a dental equipment stand comprising a hollow frame having an opening in a Wall thereof, a closure for said opening movably supported on said frame and an instrument carrier movably supported on the inner side of said closure, the combination with said closure and carrier of a common, manually operable member for moving said closure and carrier, said member being mounted on said closure for vmoving the same to open and closed positions and having a movement relative to said closure, and means connecting said member with said carrier for moving said carrier on said closure when said closure is moved to open position, to present instruments held in said carrier in readily accessible position.

4. In a dental equipment stand comprising a hollow frame having an opening in a Wall thereof, a closure for said opening movably supported on said frame and an instrument carrier supported on said closure for movement substantially parallel therewith, the combination with said closure and carrier of a common, manually operable member for moving said closure and carrier, a mounting on said closure in which said member is supported for rotary movement, and means connecting said member With said carrier, said member being movable with said closure to move the same to open and closed positions and having also a rotary movement relative to said closure for moving said carrier on said closure when said closure is moved to open position, to present instruments held in said carrier 20 in readily accessible position.

ALPHONSE F. PIEPER. 

